This Small World
by Wolfxdemonxkaguya
Summary: The team take on a job to rescue a hostage, but what happens when they're asked to take care of the girl they saved? Not to mention she was basically locked away, and knows nothing of the world.
1. Chapter 1

I dropped onto the couch, letting out a loud sigh. The old couch stabbed me in the back with one of it's springs, but I couldn't care at that point. Everything hurt, and it felt wonderful just to rest for once.

I wasn't used to doing big missions like Zephyr and Vashyron were. Those two seemed to have unlimited energy when it came to killing things.

"I'm going to take a hot bath…" I mumbled, getting up from my seat.

Vashyron stepped in front of the door, blocking my way. His semi-permanent smirk was on his face, telling me it would probably be a while before I could just sink into a bubble bath and rid myself of the dirt.

"Not so fast, Leanne. That was just a warm up mission,"

"A warm up?" I questioned his sanity.

What kind of person took on the Sledgehammers in the mine as a _warm up_? It was one of the worst battles I could remember, and we've been in a lot. If I wasn't dodging being hit, I was running out of it's reach.

"Stop complaining. That wasn't even much of a fight," Zephyr started loading his gun with ammo.

Nothing was ever much of a fight for Zephyr. Gravity seemed to hate him because he could jump higher than humanly possible. It helped him in battles, for sure. The enemy didn't know what to think.

"What is it this time?" I followed Zephyr's actions and loaded my gun, making sure I packed enough ammo not only for whatever mission we were doing, but the gangsters and monsters we would run into on the way. I was tired of people trying to rob us, assuming we were a weak bunch.

Of course, if I was on my own, it would be a different story. Only two years with Zephyr and Vashyron's constant jobs and fighting meant I was better than average, but not on their level yet.

Vashyron scanned the paper in his hands.

"A rescue job, basically. Some girl was kidnapped from Level One,"

Zephyr plucked the paper from his hands.

"'_Requesting assistance; A young girl, physically fifteen, was kidnapped and is being held for ransom on Level Ten. Please retrieve her and return her home on Level One, preferably soon_.' What the hell," Zephyr raised his eyebrow.

"They don't seem too concerned, it seems…" Not at all, actually. Most parents would be worried sick if something happened to their child.

Vashyron shrugged.

"Either way, the reward is a nice, fat, juicy one."

I rolled my eyes and started for the door.

I was never a fan of Level Ten. The place was just down right creepy and crawling with monsters and things. We could hardly walk ten feet without being challenged.

"Did it say where she was being held?" I questioned, readying myself for yet another encounter.

"Somewhere in Estia. It isn't a big place, so we shouldn't have too much trouble finding her," Vashyron didn't look concerned at all.

Finding her wasn't what I was worried about. I was almost out of ammo already, and we had just passed Albona, the fallen city. I groaned, mentally taking note not to go trigger happy.

Once we reached the abandoned town, Zephyr started taking a defensive pose in front of me. After the whole incident with Rowan he seemed to be more protective of me than usual. In an odd way I thought it was sweet.

We took on a triangle form, Zephyr in the front, Vashyron and I in the back. Usually Vashyron would go first, but Zephyr insisted. Vashyron couldn't complain; Zephyr was tough.

I placed one of my two guns back in the straps around my arms, deciding using one would be better for this battle. I knew it was a hostage situation, and the kidnappers could be tough, so saving ammo by using one gun would be best.

Zephyr stiffed suddenly, jerking his head to the right. He frowned and took off. Vashyron and I followed, knowing Zephyr's sense's were much better than our own.

I stopped suddenly, glaring at the surprised group of men. The twenty of them didn't seem too tough, but it was hard to say for sure. Surviving on Level Ten meant you had to be strong.

I lifted my gun, chasing after Zephyr. He flipped over the group shooting several down before stopping. I thought he ran out of bullets, but then I saw the tiny figure on the ground.

"Careful where you shoot, she's right there," I called to Vashyron, pointing,

He nodded before running at the group.

My breath caught for a second as a weapon was pointed at me, but he was taken out by Zephyr soon after. I reloaded my gun as quick as possible, and shot one of the ten remaining men. With the three of us attacking this group was slowly minimizing in size. When two remained, Zephyr put a bullet in the head of one, while Vashyron took out the final one with the last of his rounds.

I sucked in the dirty air, relieved.

The poor girl was still curled up on the ground, her hands covering her face.

"It's all over now," I touched her shoulder gently.

Her hair was pitch black and a tangled mess, but I guessed it would be straight once she brushed it.

She peeked between her fingers, her soft pink eyes startling me. I thought she might be wearing contacts, but it didn't seem like it.

I helped her up, surprised she was a few inches shorter that I was. Standing before me, she almost looked like a dirt-covered doll.

Her brown dress was ripped and patched, and by the looks of it, several sizes too big.

"What's your name, sweet cakes?" Vashyron squatted to her height.

Her face just went red, her eyes filling with tears.

"You're scaring her!" I snapped at him.

Zephyr rolled his eyes, finished looting for things, it seemed.

"Can we just get going?"

* * *

><p>The girl didn't say anything or answer any questions, just blushed and looked terrified. I couldn't really blame her after having to deal with the thugs that kidnapped her.<p>

It was night by the time we reached Level One, the girl fast asleep on Vashyron's back.

"Is…this the place?" I asked, confused to why we were standing outside of one of the biggest mansions in Chandelier.

I knew the girl came from Level One, but this was just ridiculous.

"Seems like it. Shall we see if anyone is home?"

Zephyr knocked sluggishly. It seemed like even his inhuman energy had a limit. His glare didn't leave the door until it was opened.

An older man answered our knocks, obviously the butler of the house. For being so late at night, he didn't seem bothered at all.

"How may I help you?" He eyes stopped on the sleeping girl. "Ah, you found the girl. Excellent. Please, do come in."

Instead of lights, candles lit the way down the hall. I held onto Zephyr's arm, knowing he could see perfectly fine in the near pitch black.

I could make out a few portraits; each one looked menacing as they followed our movements.

We were led to a sitting room, the red silk chairs looking luxurious. I wanted to sit in them terribly, but my clothes were covered in blood and dirt. Zephyr didn't seem to care. He dropped into the nearest one, stretching out.

"Zephyr," I hissed.

He looked at me, his eyes half closed.

"I'm tired, Leanne."

I sighed knowing it was pointless to argue with the master of stubbornness.

"Please, make yourselves at home while I fetch my master,"

I sat in my own chair, my poor feet screaming in pain. Vashyron still stood, looking around.

My eyes started to close against my will, my fatigue starting to catch up, when footsteps made them open. The butler returned, a very handsome man behind him.

For someone who had just woken up, he still looked rather striking. His long, silky black hair was swept into a loose ponytail, a few strands failing around his rather chiselled face. His bright blue eyes put Zephyr's to shame; almost glowing.

I couldn't help but admire how he managed to make a simple white dress shirt look so lovely.

Zephyr noticed my staring and coughed, looking away.

_Could this be the girl's father? _No, he was much too young, not much older than I was, by the looks of it. _Perhaps I have a chance with this beautiful man_…My thoughts almost made me laugh. Of course I didn't.

"You must be Vashyron. I'm Stephen Bromwell." He looked at the girl. "I didn't think you would find her so quickly, to be honest." He looked at me for a few seconds, then at an angry looking Zephyr which made him smirk.

"My, an angry looking fellow, aren't you, child?" Stephen smiled at Zephyr.

I swallowed, feeling uneasy. Teasing Zephyr wasn't the best thing to do. He was like a caged animal; taking any excuse to lash out and slaughter.

Zephyr's lip twitched, his eyes flickering towards me.

Stephen turned towards me, taking my hand in his. I smiled sheepishly as me kissed it lightly, my cheeks going a rosy red.

"Quite a lovely rose for such dirty work. It's a shame your beautiful face has been soiled with filth,"

My face went a brighter red.

Zephyr stood faster than I could see, staring at the floor.

"Can we just leave already? I'm tired," He hissed.

Stephen nodded slowly, ignoring Zephyr, glancing at the girl once again.

"Say, would you consider taking up another job? This hasn't been the first kidnapping, and probably won't be the last. Would you watch over her for a while in Ebel city? I'm sure no one would think of looking for her there," Stephen took a package from the butler and pulled out several bundles of rubies.

"Of course, whatever money you require to keep her safe I'll gladly donate."

Vashyron carefully placed the petite girl in a chair.

"Sounds like hell of a job. We aren't exactly babysitters, you know. She'd be alone sometimes,"

Zephyr crossed his arms.

"Not like we have room, anyway. You're sleeping on the couch already, Vashyron. Where would we put her?"

Zephyr had a point, but having another girl around the house could be nice. I could think of her as my little sister. As nice as Vashyron and Zephyr were, they didn't like shopping or eating the mini cakes in town with me.

"She could share a room with me," I suggested.

Vashyron looked at me.

"Are you sure? Your room is pretty small,"

I nodded.

Vashyron rubbed his face and looked at Stephen.

"I can't guarantee anything, you know."

Stephen smiled.

"I understand completely,"

Zephyr scoffed silently, obviously annoyed at being ignored.

"I've been meaning to ask, but what's her name?" I was curious at the fact it was never mentioned.

Stephen's smile fell, his eyes darkening. For a moment I was scared by the sudden change.

"She doesn't have one. She was never given one. I recall a boy once calling her Eri, but other than that, nothing."

That caught me off guard, and Zephyr too, it seemed. I remembered when my own name had been Subject Twenty. I shivered, hoping this girl didn't go through the things I had. That just made me all the more eager to take her home with us.

"Eri it is, then."

_**Please Review~!**_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I slightly regretted taking Eri home with us once I saw how much room she took up on my bed. There was no way the two of us would fit on the single bed, so I was forced to sleep on the hard and cold ground.

I hardly slept; the sun was starting to come out of hiding just as we returned home. The ground was uneven and painful, but could I really complain? I had a bed to sleep in each night while Vashyron slept on the couch. Well, when he was home, that was. I honestly didn't know why he was so popular with the ladies. He was just a pervert in my eyes.

I frowned and opened my eyes, only to find Eri staring at me. I sat up and smiled at her.

"Morning," I groaned, stretching my sore limbs.

"M-M-M-Morning," She stuttered.

I didn't think it was possible, but her tangled hair seemed even more of a mess than yesterday.

"Um, w-where am I?" Her eyes were huge as she stared out the window at the city around us. This time of morning the light reflected off the gears making it seem beautiful, but Eri was from Chandelier. The view up there was much nicer.

"Ebel City on Level Four. While you were asleep Stephen asked us to take care of you. Is he your brother?"

Eri hopped off the bed and followed me to the door.

"N-No. I haven't lived with him long. He scares me," she grabbed the sleeve of my pyjamas as I opened the door. "They scare me too," Her finger stabbed in the direction of Vashyron and Zephyr lounging on the couch.

I couldn't blame her for being scared of them, really. I could trust Zephyr, at least. Raging teenage hormones or not, he was too shy to do anything. Vashyron on the other hand….It was impossible to tell what he was thinking most of the time.

"We scare you? How is that possible? Kids seem to love me," Vashyron joked. "Zephyr I can understand, though."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Zephyr barked.

Eri retreated behind me, my shirt in her tight grip.

"Eri, how about we get you some breakfast, okay?" I hoped the distraction of food would take her attention away from the boys.

She nodded quickly, a small smile forming.

"I know you're scared, but can you stay with them for a few minutes? Our kitchen isn't exactly huge…"

The sooner she trusted Vashyron and Zephyr, the better.

I disappeared behind the wall and started cracking eggs into a pan. I watched them slowly cook while thinking.

Eri would be needing clothes mostly because mine would be too big on her. I had a few dresses I could pin to fit her for now, but I'd take her shopping today for her own. After a bath and a haircut, of course.

I tossed some bread in the small toaster, wondering how Eri liked her toast.

I would also have to take her shopping for a bed. If I moved the wardrobe over more, I could have plenty of room for it. It would make the room much smaller, but as long as I wasn't sleeping on the floor, I couldn't complain.

I flipped the eggs skilfully, making sure the yolks didn't break. For a kid who didn't talk much, Zephyr sure voiced his thoughts on not eating scrambled eggs.

I dumped them onto four plates and divided the toast evenly.

"Breakfast is ready," I called out into the living room.

Zephyr was the first one to grab a plate and retreat back to his spot on the couch. Eri hesitated, but grabbed her own as well, followed by Vashyron.

"Eri, do you want a drink? Tea, Yeti milk, water, coffee?" I made myself and Zephyr our usual cup of tea and Vashyron his coffee.

"M-Milk, please," She sat at the small table near where we kept our guns, not looking up from her food.

"Milk, huh? Growing up in Chandelier I thought you'd have nothing but tea, being a young lady and all." Vashyron accepted the mug I handed to him.

Eri shook her head, not saying anything else on the topic.

I dug into my breakfast, glad for a day off.

* * *

><p>"Would you like to take a bath with me, Eri?"<p>

I wasn't sure who was caught off guard by the question more. Zephyr just about spat out his tea while Vashyron just said nothing.

Eri nodded and hopped off the chair she sat in. As a girl she probably wanted a bath from the moment she woke up, but was too shy to ask.

I shut the bathroom door and kicked the wedge under the door. After Zephyr thought I was being attacked and ran in when really I just slipped on the floor, I though it was best to have one.

I turned on the hot water and dumped in my strawberry scented body wash. The bubbles started rising quickly until it covered the surface of the water.

I stripped and climbed in, Eri shyly following.

"Turn around, I'll wash your hair," I squeezed the bottle over her head, more than was required.

For having a rat's nest, her hair was actually rather silky once the knots started coming out.

I paused, unsure what to say.

"Y-Your ears…" I never noticed before, but her ears had pointy tips.

Eri whimpered and clamped her hands over them.

"I-I hate them,"

I gently grabbed her wrists and pulled them away.

"Why? They actually suit you, in a way." I continued scrubbing her hair, still a little surprised.

Just what was she?

First her odd eyes, and now the ears. What was next, another Zephyr?

I rinsed the soap out of her hair and lathered conditioner in, rinsing it out soon after. Eri scooped up the bubbles and stared at them intensely, giggling when they popped.

* * *

><p>I sat Eri down in the only chair in my room after I forced her into a pale blue sundress. I pinned it smaller, and tied a ribbon around her waist. She seemed excited, even though it was just my hand me downs.<p>

I brushed her hair until not and single knot dared to entangle her perfect hair.

"What kind of hairstyle do you want, Eri?"

Eri shook her head and covered her hair with her tiny hands.

"N-No! Zero cut my hair…"

"Zero? Was he the boy who named you?" I knelt beside her, hoping for any information possible.

She nodded.

"I-It wasn't really naming, just an acronym,"

"For what?" My fears seemed to be coming true. By the looks of it, she _was_ some sort of experiment.

"_Everlasting Regenesis: Indestructible_. Z-Zero's name actually was _Project: Absolute Zero_."

My mouth opened, but no words came out. What could I say? I would have to tell Zephyr and Vashyron when she wasn't around about whatever information she was willing to give me.

"What happened to Zero?"

Eri shrugged.

"We grew up together in a dark place, and then one day we were given strange shots. We woke up in Stephen's manor. We were there only three days when Zero disappeared. T-The night before he left he said he'd come back for me, but how can he find when I'm here? And if you cut my hair he won't recognise me even if he did!"

Her cheeks were flushed pink out of frustration.

I smiled softly.

"Of course he'll find you. Don't you want to look pretty when he finally does? Make him regret leaving you to wait so long."

Eri nodded suddenly, smiling.

"Yes, t-that idiot!" She kicked her feet back and forth as I trimmed her long hair. Right now her bangs hardly existed, so I thought it would be best to cut them straight across.

"So, did you like Zero?" I questioned her out of curiosity.

"N-N-N-No! D-Don't be stupid," Her face told me she was lying.

I just nodded and smiled, giving her side bangs some shape. She pouted, unable to turn her head away to hide her rosy cheeks.

I stepped aside so she could see in the mirror.

"What do you think? Better than it was, right?"

Eri hopped off the chair, her eyes wide. By the looks of it, she didn't think it was her own hair.

"I-Its so pretty," She tugged her bangs.

I slipped a white headband on her, the colors contrasting perfectly.

"There, all done. Now you look presentable to go shopping,"

Eri tilted her head to the side, her pointed ears poking out.

"What's shopping?"

That actually left me speechless. What girl didn't know what shopping was?

"Well, it's basically buying things. Like clothes, for example. They'll love you at the boutique I always go to. You're just like a doll,"

She nodded and pushed my door open, freezing when Vashyron looked at her.

"Well, don't you look like quite the princess,"

Eri nodded quickly, her eyes drilled to the floor.

"We're going shopping. Be good, alright?" I called while dragging Eri outide.

"Yes, mom." Zephyr muttered.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

As soon as the door shut behind Leanne, Vashyron changed the channel to one of his adult movies. I didn't know why he watched them so often, or why he thought I was remotely interested in them.

I lifted my feet up, dropping them on the coffee table.

"So, what do you think?"

Vashyron shrugged.

"Not my type, not to mention too young. More in your league,"

I knew he was just say it to piss me off. He knew well enough how I felt about Leanne, and seemed to love rubbing it in. Hell, the whole bloody tower seemed to know except Leanne. I wasn't sure if she was pretending to be ignorant, or actually was.

"Idiot, I meant what do you think her act of being innocent and shy is for?"

I understood that Leanne was part of an experiment and that was why she basically was the same as Eri when she first followed me home after we fell off the edge of Chandelier. Even then, Leanne was curious about the world, not scared of it.

Usually Leanne would have been dropped off at Crank Seminary since she was an orphan, but after what I had done to the place, Vashyron thought it was best she stay with us for a while.

_A while_...

It had been almost two years now since we met, but it would feel odd if she wasn't around. If she left, I'd have no reason to live. The problem was if I was to die, how would I? Two bullets to my head obviously didn't work thanks to my immortality.

But that wouldn't be for a while, I hoped.

Right now I had other problems.

"Well, its hard to say right now. You know as well as I do snooping around for information can only lead to disaster,"

"Her eyes are _pink_. Her ears are _pointy. _Don't you think that's remotely strange? And lets not forget she doesn't technically have a name, Vashyron."

I wanted to find out more about that Bromwell. I didn't trust him at all. The way he looked at Leanne also made me sick. She needed to be respected, not just drooled over like an object.

"She's not the same as Rebecca, so for now lets just pretend she's normal, okay?"

The look on his face told me that he wanted to know more as well, but in this world, who knows what she could really be.

She didn't look or act like the young, odd girl who was always with Sullivan. If she had I doubt Vashyron would have even agreed to the job, since Rebecca tried to take his life.

"What is _normal_, anyway?" I muttered.

_Normal _people didn't snap and destroy a building, shooting anything that moved in the process. _Normal _people did get stabbed in the chest by and Outside human. _Normal _people didn't try and commit suicide on their birthday.

The three of us were the opposite of normal, for sure.

I stretched, wanting to do something.

"I'm going to the arena, catch you later."

* * *

><p>I pulled open the heavy doors, making my way to the front desk. It had been a while since I was here, that's for sure. The endless supply of monsters were perfect for taking my anger out on.<p>

"Hey, Zephyr. What rank will it be today?" Mark was the one who managed the 'battle teams'. Currently, ours was at the top of the charts.

I didn't even bother looking at the rank list.

"Fifty."

He seemed a little surprised.

"Rank fifty on your own? You know that's two Argos, right?"

"Make it four. I'll do two rounds at once," I dropped the entrance fee of the counter, eager for the challenge.

Mark scratched the back of his head before handing my the papers to sign.

"Don't make too big of a mess,"

I stretched quickly while walking through the gates, smiling at the four fifty foot tall Argos in front of me. It had been a while since I actually went all out, and I had a reason to now. Argos were dangerous, that was for sure. They could be slow, but if I was caught off guard for a second, I'd be dead.

A few people sat in the stands, obviously curious about someone taking on four of these things at once.

I stood still, waiting for an opportunity. I usually took out the most dangerous one first, but it was impossible to tell just by looking. They'd have to attack first.

One on the left raised it's huge canon like machine and fired.

I flipped out of the way easily, putting several round in it's armour. Fire didn't bother me, but ice and poison were the problems. Now that I knew what one was, the other three could be equally dangerous.

I reloaded my gun with armour piercing rounds.

I ran at the closest one, jumping and twisting so I could get a good shot. I fired three times, each bullet going through its head.

I landed on my feet gently and took off as it fell, dead. I ran under the one closest to my right as it began to fire electricity towards the spot I had just been. It turned to attack, but I was already in the air, shooting it down.

I rolled to soften my landing and grabbed the other gun in my holster. Usually I didn't tend to show off, but I was in a rather good mood, now.

I ran between the last two Argos, timing myself perfectly. When they were where I wanted, I did my final flip in the air, a gun pointed at each of them. I pulled the triggers at the same time, both of the Argos going still before crashing to the ground.

"That wasn't a battle; that was assisted suicide," I muttered, dropping my guns back in place.

* * *

><p>"You never stop amazing me, you know. Here, your prize money and coins. Interested in trading them in? You have enough,"<p>

I shrugged, and accepted the catalogue he handed me. I flipped through it, finding nothing really worth trading. They had a new gun, but the ones we had found in Neverland outclassed it by miles.

"I'll take this," I pointed to a coupon for a free outfit at the store Leanne always shopped at.

"Ah. For your girlfriend?" Mark ducked under the desk, looking through drawers.

"She's not my girlfriend." I stated bluntly.

Why did everyone have to think that? Was a guy not allowed to protect a girl?

Mark dropped the paper in front of me after he counted all my coins.

"Either way, say hi to the rest of your team for me."

I nodded and started to make my way back home, the long way. I wanted to check the board for any jobs that had come up, and hardly surprisingly, there wasn't.

I stepped outside of the Guild, the sun blinding me. Using my hand as a visor, I turned towards Sweet Home, when a small hand grabbed my arm. I resisted to pull my gun out, out of reflex.

"Zephyr, can we get your help?"

Leanne was smiling brightly, wearing a new white dress. I honestly couldn't even look at her. Whenever she wore white, I was reminded of the stupid wedding mission we did. Despite calling the whole mission worthless, I still had the ring on my finger.

"With what?" I asked, glancing at Eri holding several bags.

She wore a black frilly dress with matching stockings, a red ribbon bow on her hip, and a matching one in her hair.

"How much money did you spend?"

Leanne bit her lip and looked away.

"N-Not that much, besides, Stephen said he'd pay us to take care of her. That includes shopping,"

I just rolled my eyes.

"What did you need help with?"

Leanne grabbed my wrist and started dragging me towards Razzel Street, where all the shops were.

"I bought Eri a bed, but it's too heavy for us to carry," She let go of my wrist, leaving me slightly disappointed.

Typically she would need Super Zephyr's strength to come to the rescue.

* * *

><p>When Leanne had said the word bed, that's what I thought she meant. Not a box of metal I needed to assemble.<p>

The parts were all out on her bedroom floor as I tried to figure out what piece went where. It wasn't like I had to reconstruct Basil, but the amount of screws made me question if I really was or not.

"How's it going?" Leanne peaked her head in the doorway, smiling.

"Just great," I muttered, wanting to threaten the pile of metal so it would go together by itself.

"Would some tea help?" She placed the steaming cup beside me, taking a seat on her own bed.

"Where's Eri?" I managed to position the bars for the frame in place.

"Sleeping. Shopping wore her out completely,"

I reached into my jeans, fishing out the paper I had exchanged my coins for.

"Here," I held up the paper without turning around.

This was just ridiculously embarrassing.

Leanne took it, and I heard her gasp.

"Are you serious? I've been wanting this for ages! How'd you get it?"

I screwed the frame bars together, refusing to turn around.

"How else? Rank Fifty is easy enough anyone could do it."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I never thought I would be living like this with other people.

I grew up with Zero, both of us in a dark room with no windows. I honestly didn't know how long we were there until Stephen showed up, but I kind of wished he hadn't. At least in the dark room I was always with Zero.

In Stephen's manor we were kept separate in our own rooms. We were only allowed to leave them twice a day; once for breakfast and once for dinner. Other than that, everything else was forbidden.

How Zero had managed to escape still baffled me. He'd said he'd come back for me, but it had already been three weeks since he had been gone.

What if he had gone back and I wasn't there?

I'd been living in Ebel City for two weeks now without any problems. I rather enjoyed it. Leanne was the sister I had always wanted, and she often dressed me up for the silliest reasons. I didn't mind. I'd never worn pretty clothing before.

I brushed my long black hair, smiling softly.

Zero would be in for a surprise when he finally found me, that's for sure. I hardly even recognized my own reflection.

I slipped on the white headband Leanne had given me, making sure the tips of my ears were covered. I hated them so much. I knew they weren't normal once I started living with Stephen.

I tossed my pyjamas into the wash basket and straightened my pink and black dress. I wanted to look my best every second, in case Zero was to show up today.

"M-Morning," I pushed open our bedroom door, peaking my head out.

Zephyr and Vashyron sat in their usual spots on the couch, watching the strange picture box. I had to admit, it really was a extraordinary object. It seemed as if humans were trapped inside somehow, and were forced to perform.

"Morning," Vashyron responded.

Zephyr just ignored my presence completely like usual.

I took a seat between them, pulling my knees to my chest. It wasn't that I didn't trust them, but they still scared me a little.

Vashyron smelt of alcohol already while Zephyr…

I wasn't sure. His scent was odd to me. He smelt of death, but at the same time, something _else_…I knew I had smelt it before, but I couldn't be positive of what it was.

I watched him from the corner of my eye, looking for some kind of clue. It was a failed attempt since I hadn't even been outside long enough to tell the difference between things.

He still seemed on edge about something. His index finger tapped the arm rest several times until he stopped suddenly.

"What?" He looked at me, obviously knowing I was staring.

I shook my head quickly and looked down.

Scary indeed.

The front door opened noisily, Leanne's strawberry scent filling the room. It was a nice aroma, unlike Vashyron's or Zephyr's odd scent.

"There's a big job up," Leanne pulled her shoes off before handing Vashyron a slip of paper.

"Calling all Hunters: A rebel group has formed on Level Seven, blah, blah, blah," Vashyron read.

At the mention of Level Seven, Zephyr seemed to stiffed up.

"How bad is it?" He questioned, his stare piercing the paper in Vashyron's hands.

Leanne sighed.

"Very, by the sounds of it. A few stores on Razzel Street can't even have deliveries made because of it. There's a bunch of jobs from them, too…" Leanne reached in her pocket and unfolded several flyers, dropping them on the table.

Zephyr stood and made his way towards the wall of guns near the stairs. I was told not to go near it, but I wouldn't even think of it even if they hadn't told me not to.

"No point sitting in here if there's job to be done," Zephyr loaded the weapon with those strange metal things called bullets.

"What about Eri?" Leanne glanced at me.

I didn't want to cause problems for them. The thought of being alone was terrifying, but nothing had happened since they brought me here.

"I-I'll be fine. It's only for a while, right?" I just hoped I wouldn't have to spend the night alone.

"Are you sure, Eri? We'll be pretty far-"

"She'll be fine, Leanne." Zephyr interrupted, dropping her own gold gun in her hands.

I nodded, glad Zephyr was agreeing with me for once.

Vashyron gathered up the papers and refolded them, stuffing them into his shirt.

"Don't let anyone in, and don't burn the place down, okay, princess?" Vashyron patted the top of my head, messing up my hair.

I didn't know how I had gotten that nickname. He just started calling me that despite my protests.

"I'll be good. Have fun," I wasn't sure if _have fun _was the right thing to say or not, but it seemed appropriate for some reason. Zephyr always complained that fights weren't fun when he returned home from the arena, so I hoped fighting bad guys today would be for him.

He just raised his eyebrow before he shut the door, leaving me in silence.

Silence.

I hated silence more than anything; the pure void of sound was enough to bring back the things I wanted to forget.

I turned up the strange music device on the shelf, letting the melody that wafted from it to suppress my thoughts.

"Now what do I do…"

I looked around the living room and decided to tidy things up a bit. I straightened the blankets on the couch, positioning the pillows perfectly. It still didn't look as nice as I wanted, but it couldn't be helped.

Next was Vashyron's shelf of booze. Empty bottles littered almost every shelf, taking up enough room the full bottles couldn't fit properly. I moved a few bottles, one accidentally falling to the ground. The glass shattered as it hit the floor, a piece cutting through my stocking and into my foot.

I pouted, the hole in my stocking was at least an inch. I would have to ask Leanne to fix it later for me…

I grabbed the piece of glass and pulled it out of my flesh, the wound healing almost instantly. Black blood dripped off the shard and onto the floor, splattering on the other glass fragments.

I sighed and went looking for a broom in the kitchen.

A book on the counter caught my attention. I picked it up and flipped through the pages, the colourful pictures of meals and treats making my mouth water.

Leanne's cooking was good, but I was always still hungry after. I didn't want to ask for seconds in case someone else wanted more.

I found a recipe for a cake, and I knew I wanted to make it. Maybe Zephyr wouldn't completely hate me if it turned out well. Whenever Leanne made sweets he seemed to eat them all before anyone else could have any.

I cleaned up the glass and set to work in the kitchen.

I had never baked anything before in my life, so I had no idea what the numbers beside the ingredients meant. I hoped they weren't important.

I found flour and butter, but we didn't seem to have any milk left. Digging through the fridge I found some odd looking juice. I sniffed it, the smell slightly fruity, but tangy. The label said wine, but I didn't know what that was. I was sure it could be used instead of milk.

I scanned the rest of the list, frowning when I couldn't find sugar or something to replace it.

I glanced out the window.

It was bright and sunny out, perfect weather to be outside. I was sure no bad people would bother me if I was to go buy some.

But at the same time…

Outside was scary.

I tried to run away like Zero had, but those scary men dragged me all the way to Level Ten before I could even get far.

I shook my head.

"Ebel City is full of nice people," I told myself.

I slipped on my shoes after grabbing some money. I wasn't sure how expensive sugar was, but I hoped it wouldn't be too much.

I inhaled sharply as soon as I was on the other side of the door, the sun warming my pale skin.

Mr. Old Man waved when he spotted me, smiling. I shyly raised my hand, too nervous to do anything else. I hurried down the pathway, trying not to make eye contact.

Leanne told everyone we met I was her cousin, so they were very friendly. It didn't mean I was less terrified. The world was huge, and filled with so many people. How could I not fear it?

I wondered how their job was going. It seemed like a big fight awaited them, and I hoped none of them got hurt. They were strong, but it didn't take much for something to go wrong.

I saw the scars Leanne had on her back, all from her days when she just started as a hunter, she told me.

Was it really worth fighting for money when your life was at risk?

I stopped, a naked cat-like creature sitting in the middle of the path. An old tire sat on its head like a crown, chain and bottles decorating it. It seemed to be looking for something, its huge eyes focused as its leathery hands dug through a pile.

Leanne said that Gremlins who lived in the city were usually harmless, but could be dangerous.

But why? It was _cute_.

I knelt on the ground and held my hand out towards it, wanting to pet it.

The Gremlin noticed me and hissed loudly, running away after, seeming terrified.

"You forgot your coins, Mr. Kitty," I pouted.

I scooped them up, deciding I would return them if I ever saw Mr. Kitty again.

* * *

><p>I pulled the heavy steel door open that belonged to the Supply Shop. Several pretty dolls sat on the left side of the counter, drawing my attention. Some seemed rather battered, but still lovely.<p>

"Nice, aren't they?"

I looked up, a young girl shyly stood in front of me. Her blonde hair was cut short, just touching her shoulders. Freckles dotted across her thin face. She was the shop owner's granddaughter, I remembered.

"V-Very. Where did you get them?" I wished I could have such pretty dolls.

The girl smiled.

"A boy named Zephyr found most of them for me in the lower levels,"

I was kind of jealous of her. Zephyr seemed to hate me. He refused to make eye contact and seemed to deny I was even living under the same roof.

"I-I-I see," I smiled back, although it was forced.

"Would you like one? I-I have plenty,"

"R-Really?" My eyes lit up.

She nodded.

"He keeps bringing them and I feel bad for not being able to play with them all," She picked up one with dark brown hair and almost white skin, a red and brown dress draped around her. "She reminds me of you,"

I took the doll gently from her, my eyes watering.

Why were they all so nice to me?

"I-I'm Eri," I wiped my eyes, smiling.

"Melly. I-I hope we can be friends," Melly smiled back.

* * *

><p>It was only after I returned home I realized I forgot sugar. I was so distracted by the doll I completely forgot about it. It couldn't be too important.<p>

I found a strange cup while looking for a bowl, one that had the same coded numbers in the book.

I scooped up one slash two cups of flour and dumped it in the bowl, followed by butter, the strange juice, some other powders and one Dwellist egg. The book said to beat until smooth, but the egg was proving difficult. No matter how much I tried, the white shell parts wouldn't smash completely. I reach in the batter and grabbed a fragment, breaking it between my fingers. A fine dust was the result.

Did I have to do that to every piece?

_Yes,_ I told myself.

Almost half an hour passed before I no longer could find any shells. I added a little more wine, the batter turning a pretty dark pink.

"Yummy, yummy cake, Zephyr won't hate me, everyone like yummy, yummy cake," I sung to myself as I pouring the mixture into a pan.

I watched Leanne turn on the oven a few times, so I at least knew how to work it. I dropped the cake inside and closed the door.

I sat on the floor, the doll in my arms.

* * *

><p>"We're home, Eri," Leanne called while taking her boots off near the door.<p>

They all smelt like blood, which was rather overpowering. I didn't like that smell at all.

I smiled brightly, thinking of the cake I made. It turned out perfectly.

Zephyr frowned when he saw the doll in my arms.

"Where did you get that,"

I hugged it tighter.

"M-Melly gave it to me,"

Zephyr shrugged his jacket off, tossing it onto the couch.

"Melly from the Supply Shop? What were you doing there?" Leanne looked worried at the mention of me going outside.

I nodded.

"I needed sugar for the cake I was making," I pointed to the bright pink dessert sitting on the table.

No one said anything as they looked at it, which worried me. Had I done something wrong? It looked different from the book's picture, but it was only slightly lopsided. Did that matter too much?

"The princess can bake? Well, I'm starving." Vashyron marched over and cut a chunk, taking a large bite.

I bounced on my feet, waiting for him to say something. He didn't; just swallowed slowly while making a weird face.

"I-Is it good? I-I-I made it for Zephyr…" I lowered my head, knowing my face was going bright red from the embarrassment.

I was surprised when Zephyr cut his own piece an devoured it. Like Vashyron, he made an odd face, but half smiled after.

"N-Not bad, I guess."


	5. Chapter 5

_Thank you everyone who has reviewed/faved~!_

* * *

><p>Chapter 5<p>

A month had flown by and it seemed as if Eri had always been with us, always there to greet us when we came home.

She was still shy, but her curiosity seemed to overpower everything else. She gladly talked to the towns people, and to my surprise, the Gremlins had taken a liking to her. Usually they ran away from everyone, but they allowed her to pat them and even ate her failed attempt at cookies.

I had lectured Zephyr about being nice to her, not just pretending like she was never there to begin with. He acted like he brushed my words off, but I noticed a change in his behaviour. Instead of being cold, he was, well, _less _cold. And for Zephyr that was something.

Eri stared intently at the toaster, hardly blinking. She was determined to learn how to cook, but it was just about hopeless. I started giving her small jobs that didn't require much, like making toast, or mixing things.

We were going on jobs more and each time we returned, some sort of baked deathtrap waited. Zephyr often suffered the most, his lack of a sweet tooth made her desserts more disgusting than they should have been.

Eri jumped as the toast popped up, almost falling backwards.

"You win this round," She mumbled, smearing butter on the crunchy surface.

I stirred the Dwellist bacon, adding some spices. It was rather bland tasting, but it was hard to complain about the free food we captured during missions.

"Are you ever going to win, Eri?" I giggled.

She pouted, dropping the last two slices of bread in the metal slots.

"Of course I will. I-I just go easy on it, that's all."

"Going easy can get you killed in the real world," I mumbled, thinking out loud.

Eri went quiet, her pink eyes filled with questions.

Other than shopping with me, she still had yet to see the world for what it really was. Level Four was nice, being just under Chandelier, but the lower ones were terrible. If it wasn't so dangerous I would love to take her with us. We could sneak into the Forest of Idols and pick some flowers, or explore Pateropolis.

"Leanne?" Eri's voice snapped me back to reality.

I scrapped the meat off the bottom of the pan, glad it wasn't burnt too much.

"Yes?"

She looked around before swallowing sharply.

"I-I want to learn how to fight like you do," I found myself in a struggle to break eye contact with her.

I was sure she'd pick up our lessons quick enough, but she was just so _tiny._ A gun recoil must might be too much for her to handle.

"I can't say, Eri. It's…It's up to Vashyron,"

Eri nodded quickly and left the kitchen, obviously wanting an answer.

I wasn't completely against it, but she was like a sister to me. Zephyr was always there to protect me when things got out of hand, but Vashyron believed in only keeping yourself alive.

I just didn't want to see her get hurt.

* * *

><p>Breakfast was quiet, none of us wanting to say anything. Zephyr kept glancing at Eri, clearly annoyed by her request. I figured he wouldn't want to become a babysitter once again.<p>

I gathered the plates and abandoned them on the counter, deciding I would clean them later. If there was going to be a discussion, I wanted to be in on it.

Eri was practically staring at Vashyron beside her, a small smile on her lips. Vashyron on the other hand just rubbed his forehead.

"You aren't serious. You're actually _thinking_ about it? Four people is too many, Vashyron." Zephyr crossed his arms as he leaned against the wall.

He was right, in a way. Four people just might be too many for a group of Hunters. Three was pushing it, but we managed to make it work.

"I-I don't have to go with you, I just want to learn." Eri set her tight grip on Vashyron's jacket, refusing to let go.

He sighed and patted her head like usual.

"Fine, but only _one_ lesson, understand?"

Eri giggled and fell forward to hug him, something that actually surprised me. Usually she wouldn't even hug me without being embarrassed.

Perhaps she was changing after all.

I wandered to our wall of guns and plucked off my first gun, dumping the bullets out and replacing them with rubber rounds. I never used it anymore; our trip to Neverland gave us high grade weapons, better than the ones in any store.

I set it on the table, wondering if one lesson would really have her curiosity dismissed. Perhaps the smell of gun powder would help her change her mind.

"Come on, Eri. You can borrow my old clothes," Hers would be ruined in minutes at the arena.

She hopped off the couch smiling, practically running to my room.

* * *

><p>Eri seemed fascinated and yet scared of the arena. I myself found it slightly creepy as well; blood stains almost covering the floor in the back. However, Eri wouldn't be taking on anything just yet.<p>

"Hey guys, I see you found yet another team member." Andy worked behind the training desk and was in charge of basically making sure we were using rubber bullets, not real ones.

"More like a kid to baby-sit," Zephyr mumbled.

I smacked him on the back of the head as Vashyron filled out the paperwork. The training area was basically a smaller version of the real fighting one, minus the seats for people to watch.

"In you go, princess." Vashyron pointed her in the right direction, Zephyr and I following.

"Vashyron? Aren't you coming?" I called.

He waved his hand.

"I will in a minute, I just need to set something up."

I shrugged and kept walking.

Three well used targets were set up on a row, each one of them looking as if they would fall apart at any moment. Shooting something that didn't shoot back would be nice for once.

"Okay, Eri. First, your pose. Stand facing the target you're aiming for, and hold your arms straight out." I raised her arms when it was slightly too low, and handed her the gun after adjusting her footing.

Her smile was replaced with a hard line as she concentrated, the weapon pointed at the target.

"Pull the trigger when you think you're ready, okay?" I stood back and waited.

Zephyr seemed bored already, sitting on the ground. He did almost the same thing as when Vashyron started training me. Back then he didn't like the idea at all, and protested until Vashyron had to drag him here.

After a few seconds, Eri squeezed the trigger, yelping at the surprised of the recoil. The bullet missed the target entirely, bouncing off the far wall.

"Terrible," Zephyr grumbled, standing.

He grabbed her hands and helped her aim.

"Don't move and shoot."

Eri gave a small nod and listened. This time it bounced off the target, two colour rings from the center.

"I did it!" Eri giggled and started jumping, seeming to forget the weapon in her hand. Rubber bullets or not, it was still dangerous.

"Eri, don't do that with a loaded gun. You could end up killing someone," I scolded, feeling better when she seemed to absorb my warning.

After about two hours she seemed to have the hang of it. She was doing pretty well, even with the bouncing clown targets.

"Ready to move on, kiddo?" Vashyron smiled and grabbed her shoulder.

Moving on? We just did the last training level. What possibly more could we do-

"No," I stated, realizing what he meant.

Vashyron and Zephyr looked at me.

"Why not? It'll only be Rank One, Leanne." Zephyr turned and followed Vashyron out the door.

"Oh dear," I mumbled.

How could they possibly enter her in a Rank now, the same day she lend a gun for the first time. It wasn't any huge monsters, just a dog and two criminals she'd be facing. It was the easiest fight possible, but was she ready?

Vashyron had already done the paper work for her, and to my surprise, us as well. We would just stand around, making sure nothing went wrong. Eri seemed excited, until we informed her she was to face actual enemies.

Zephyr, Vashyron and I made a triangle shape around where the competitors would stand, while Eri stood near the entrance of the large circle.

"Ready, set…Go!" Called the man who was in charge of setting the monsters loose in the ring.

Eri tensed up as two men walked towards the middle, their shoulders and arms patted with heavy material. They were typical rouge gunmen, usually trying to kill everyone in sight.

The black dog snarled, vicious and trained by scum on the lower levels to fight.

Both men pulled out guns, while Eri shook. She collected herself and raised her gun, pointing it towards the man on the left.

I took my own gun out, just in case, and held it up. Zephyr was already in attack mode, just waiting for an excuse to slaughter them.

Eri fired twice, both bullets hitting the patting. If she was to win, she would have to aim for his head. The hat he wore would have little protection against any shot that came close.

Eri fired three more times, one finally making contact with the left man's neck. He dropped to the ground quickly, his fellow criminal friend slightly startled.

The dog rushed at Eri, its teeth showing in its rage.

I swallowed.

What would she do? Eri loved animals, no matter how gross they looked. Something as frightening as this dog might as well be a fluffy puppy in her eyes.

Her eyes dropped to the animal in front of her. I could see her hands shaking, but she didn't pull the trigger.

My eyes snapped to the man who was left. His weapon was raised and aimed at Eri while her guard was down.

I pulled my own gun trigger, but he was faster. The bullet raced from the end of his barrel and buried itself in Eri's chest, just above her heart. She fell backwards, landing hard.

Zephyr finish off the two enemies while I rushed over to Eri.

"Eri," To my confusing the pink shirt she wore was turning black, not red.

She sat up like nothing was wrong and dug her fingers into the wound, pulling out the bullet that had pierced her skin. Like the shirt, her fingers were covered in a black blood.

"May I keep this?" Eri held up the bullet, smiling.

Vashyron dropped beside her, and despite protests, yanked her shirt up and off. He swore as he wiped blood off, not finding any wound.

"Zephyr, give her your jacket." Vashyron held is arm out, waiting for it.

Zephyr frowned, refusing to look in her direction, but obeyed and shrugged off the leather and tossed it straight to her. She slipped it on, clearly not understanding what was going on.

"Go straight home. I'll clean up this mess," For the first time in a while, Vashyron seemed completely worried. I didn't blame him.

We knew Eri was different, but this was crazy. I found myself asking for the hundredth time, just _what _was she?


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Eri sat on the couch while we stood around her. She had changed her clothes, but I still found my eyes dropping to where she had been shot, almost expecting her to start bleeding at any moment.

Vashyron seemed to be frustrated the most. I understood what he was thinking. Eri could be like us; supposed to die but still lived.

I had tried to commit suicide my jumping off Chandelier, Vashyron had been attacked and stabbed by an Outside human, and Zephyr had survived his execution of two bullets to the head.

The three of us had survived because some entity intervened with our fates.

It could be possible, but given her appearance, it must have been something else.

"Eri, can you please tell us anything?" I asked softly, trying not to scare her more than we already had.

"No. Tell us everything from the beginning." Vashyron dropped onto the couch beside her, plopping his dirty boots onto the coffee table.

Why must he do that? He knew how much I hated when they made unnecessary messes.

Eri rubbed her red eyes and nodded.

"I-I-I don't remember much as a kid; everyday was just about the same. The room Zero and I stayed in had no windows, only two beds, a few cabinets that were always locked, and the few things we were given, like books.

"I honestly don't know what happened, but we were put to sleep often, and when we would wake, things seemed…different. My eyes started changing, and Zero started looking different.

"I panicked when I woke up in Stephen's house. I wasn't with Zero, which terrified me more than anything. We were let out more; once for breakfast, and once for dinner. I had more books to read and paper to draw on, but I was _scared. _

"Zero came to my room one night and picked the lock. He said he would be back soon for me, and just left. Sometime passed, and I thought I could do what he did. I did manage to escape, but those bad men caught me and dragged me away. You guys know that rest…"

I handed Eri several tissues, feeling terrible for the poor girl.

"There's just too many blanks," Vashyron mumbled.

I nodded, agreeing.

Eri had cleared something's, but not enough.

"It doesn't explain what you are," Zephyr said rather coldly.

I shot him a look, but Eri didn't seem to be bothered.

"I just _don't _know! I'm a freak, I understand that, but why can't I just be free? I _want _to run outside and get hurt, and to know the feeling of healing slowly. I don't care what it takes, I just want to know why this had to happen to me. Why was I held prisoner? Why was I given strange needles? _Why am I even alive?_" It seemed like Eri had finally reached her limit.

I sat beside her and let her stain my shirt with tears.

I looked at Vashyron, and he nodded.

I lifted Eri's head off my shoulder so I could look her in the face.

"Eri, we'll help you, okay? We only need you to be brave and come with us, okay?"

Eri blinked away tears.

"W-Where?"

"To Stephen's manor, of course."

* * *

><p>We prepared for two days; buying ammo and making sure our guns were in perfect condition.<p>

Our plan was to make it look like we had no business on level one at all; just showing Eri, my cousin, around. We were well known as Hunters which could be a problem, but we wore casual clothing to blend in more.

Square Garden was near Stephen's manor, which couldn't be any more perfect.

Zephyr groaned as we stepped out of the elevator, taking Eri's hand. He protested all they way up, but we told him it was necessary to make us seem off guard for anything that could happen.

"Why can't she hold your hand?" He snapped at Vashyron.

"Because, kid, you're closer to her age. It would look weird if Leanne or I were," Vashyron shrugged as Zephyr glared at him.

I had to admit, the fact Zephyr was still so shy around girls was rather adorable. He refused to look in Eri's direction, no matter how many times she pointed to stores or something pretty.

We crossed one of the many bridges, Eri coming to a sudden halt. She ripped her hand from Zephyr's to run off, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled backwards.

"Where are you going?" I questioned.

Eri ignored me and tried to get out of Zephyr's tight grip.

"L-Let me go!" She practically screamed.

"Shut up, idiot! You're causing a scene!" Zephyr struggled to hold her in his grip.

My eyes went wide as he hit the back of her head in the right spot, knocking her out.

"What the hell was that about?" He muttered, picking Eri up.

I froze as I felt the cold metal of a gun pressed against my head and a knife blade brushing against the skin of my neck.

"Put her down. _Now_,"

My breathing increased as he cocked the gun. Killing me wouldn't be hard at all.

Zephyr's face twisted with rage, but he obeyed by dropping Eri. He pulled out his own gun, seeming hesitant.

I trusted Zephyr completely to not miss.

The gun and the knife dropped away from me, to my relief. The man dropped what I realized was my own gun in my hands and pushed Zephyr out of the way, kneeling beside Eri.

He was strange; his dirty and ripped clothes clearly from the lower levels. A hat similar to the ones the rebels wore sat on his head, large glasses covering his eyes.

The three of us pointed weapons at him, but he didn't seem to take notice.

Zephyr fired one bullet; the man's hat flying off to reveal messy dark hair. He didn't seem to care; just pulled Eri into his lap.

"Eri Deary, please wake up," He gently slapped her cheeks until she came to.

She didn't react at first, but suddenly started crying.

"Y-Y-You idiot!" She hit his chest lightly, making him laugh.

"Same as ever, just prettier, I see." He slipped off his glasses, and to my surprise, he was actually rather attractive. If I had to guess, he was probably only a year or two older than I was. Like Eri, his ears were pointed, but his eyes were a blood red. I shivered slightly, finding them creepy.

"Who are you?" I had a good idea, but I wanted to make sure.

His head snapped up, his eyes narrowed into a glare. I froze, seemingly unable to move.

"Her fiancé. Now scram, before I knock your heads in for hurting her."

Eri slapped his cheek gently, her own a bright red.

"D-Don't be stupid, Zero. They saved me a while ago. I've been living with them," Eri stood and brushed off her pink dress. Zero followed her actions, frowning.

"I don't like you," He jabbed his finger at Zephyr. "You smell like death, and you hit pretty girls."

Zephyr being Zephyr, refused to stand down.

"She wouldn't calm down, you know."

Zero shrugged.

"That's no excuse, you know. I'd never hit the girl I love,"

"At least I make sure the girl I love is safe instead of running off-" He fell silent, obviously embarrassed.

"W-Whatever. Let's just go finish this." Zephyr started walking, but none of us followed.

"What are you guys planning?" Zero's earlier hostility seem to be gone.

I looked at Eri. A smile she was trying to hide was on her face, her eyes darting to Zero every few seconds. Finding out Zero was her fiancé was a bit of a shock for me. He seemed just way too old for her.

"We want answers from Stephen," Vashyron answered.

Zero shook his head.

"Don't bother. He'll tell you some crazy lie and make you feel like you need to chase someone else. Do you have somewhere we can talk?"

Vashyron and I hesitated. Could we really trust Zero? He wouldn't even think of putting Eri in harm's way, but what about us? I had been held at gun point.

Zero smiled.

"Don't worry, you guys helped Eri out, even if you were being played by Stephen."

"Being used?" Well, we felt like babysitters, but other than that…

Vashyron nodded and started walking back to the elevator.

"We need answers, and if you have them, great."

* * *

><p>We all agreed that we would talk over dinner and wait until tomorrow to face Stephen after we knew all of the missing details.<p>

Zero, being covered almost head to toe in dirty, took advantage of the shower to clean up. He was a little taller than Vashyron, so he borrowed his clothes. Zephyr's would have been way too small.

I squished meat and spices in a bowl, deciding burgers would probably be easy enough. Zero said to make a lot, but how much was a lot?

"Where are Eri and Zero?" I had put Vashyron in charge of cooking bacon for the burgers.

"Our room, I think. He said he wanted to talk to her privately or something,"

Vashyron chuckled, thinking something perverted. I let it slide, his reward for helping. If he said anything over dinner, however, he would be getting the usual slap to the face.

I dropped the last burger on a plate after grilling ten, hoping it would be enough.

"Can you take this out? I'll get Eri and Zero." I handed the plate to Vashyron, and untied my apron, returning it to its hook.

I knocked on our bedroom door, opening it.

"Eri, Zero, dinner is ready-" I wasn't sure if I should have been embarrassed or not, but Eri defiantly was.

"Great, I'm starving." Zero got off from on top of Eri, grabbing his shirt from the floor before leaving.

"E-Eri?"

She stood as well, her face several dozen shades of red.

"I-Its not w-what it l-l-l-looked like," She stuttered.

"Are those…bite marks?" Her neck was almost covered in the small, round puncture marks. I was surprised to see them open, and not fully healed.

"I don't mean to see rude, Eri, but isn't he a little too old for you?" I was worried about her. I didn't want this older, _much _older guy taking advantage of her like this.

Eri made an odd face, and before I knew it, she was giggling loudly.

"S-Silly, I'm older than he is,"

No way. There was _no way in hell_ that kid was younger than she was. When did he hit puberty, when he was seven?

"He's fourteen?" I questioned, hoping she wasn't just trying to get off the hook.

She blinked, shaking her head.

"He's fifty seven, and I'm fifty eight."

* * *

><p><em>Thanks again, everyone~! Me love you long time if you review. Only 2 or 3 chapters left.<em>


	7. Chapter 7

_Woooo. Shortest chapter yetttt. The next will be pretty long though. Please reviewww~ They make me write faster. ._._

* * *

><p>Chapter 7<p>

"So, like I said before, Stephen is just using you guys." Zero took a bite out of the burger on his plate, and seeming to like the taste, took another before continuing.

"I guess I'll start in the middle, and explain things that way. The first night since being transferred to Stephen's I knew something was wrong. He just felt…off. It's hard to explain, but being around him made me uneasy. I didn't trust him at all.

"While we were living in the dark room I often wrote stories for Eri, so when I asked for paper and a paperclip I was given it without much thought. I used the paperclip to pick the lock at night and explore our new home. I stumbled across Stephen's office, which was perfect. I broke in and found mountains of notes, all about us. It took me the three days to read and understand completely what had been going on.

"Eri and I aren't human. We're similar to what you guys already know of, those Outside humans. Well, Eri was captured by one of Stephen's research teams fifty eight years ago and brought to the dark room. About a year later, I joined her."

This didn't make any sense at all. I understood Eri and Zero could age while seeming to be so young, but Stephen was human. His ears weren't pointy or anything. He had the immortal look about him, but that could have been purely his genes.

"You said Stephen's research team…?" I questioned.

"I'm getting to that, Leanne. Eri, or Everlasting Regenesis: Indestructible, was basically a part of a research project that wanted to see how far they could push our kind without us dying. I couldn't believe the things they had done to you, Eri." Zero looked at her in such lovingly a way it almost made me jealous.

"Anyway, they became bored with trying to kill her. Outside human blood became the heart of the experiment; they wanted to see how our blood would react it mixed. It did, I suppose. Eri's eyes turned pink because of her blood being tainted, and her power weakened.

"Our kind have incredible senses; hearing, seeing, smelling and even tasting. Thanks to the experiments, only Eri's sense of smell has stayed, and even then it's diluted. Luckily the Outside humans were mutated, so it was just her senses dulled and a small amount of her physical abilities changed.

"Me, Project: Absolute Zero, was the complete opposite. With me they tried to transfer my abilities, copying them into other living organisms, Stephen included. He only managed to gain our ability to age slowly, as far as I can tell. Since it sort of worked, it then it was decided that they would try to completely remove them. I died each time. I was dead for three days each time, and every time I aged a little before my body regenerated and I awoke. After almost fifty seven years of that, I aged almost ten years."

I nodded as Zero took a few more bites of his food. I had lost my appetite.

My own life had been played with like it was nothing, and I never found out until one person had thought I deserved to live the last year of my life. By the looks of it, these two could live through many things. Would anyone have showed them enough compassion to set them free?

Zero smiled.

"Cheer up, Leanne. Why are you the one getting sad?"

Zero was right. Being sad wouldn't change anything.

Vashyron chuckled, dropping his empty plate of the coffee table.

"Leanne is just too nice for her own good,"

I slapped him arm gently.

"So how do we fit into all of this?" Zephyr asked, actually showing some interest. Usually he just wanted the name of his next target, not paying attention to the details.

"Well, Stephen had several notes, all possible outcomes, all describing different situations. One, the current one, was just to let us go and never contact us again. Other ones, however, have me worried.

"That dark room we grew up in? It was Stephen's basement. He hoped that with the both of us growing up together, we would form some kind of relationship, be it siblings or lovers, he didn't care. He hoped that if we were to be separated, one of us would snap and take part in the destruction of Basel. Given what we are capable of, it could be possible. We would be unstoppable.

"Obviously, that didn't happen. I had managed to escape from the house, and I assume Stephen knew Eri would try the same. I spent a few days in the lower Levels, trying to gather any information at all. I was just about to start the hike back up to Chandelier when I heard a rumour. Apparently, a very rich man was willing to pay someone to kidnap a young, pretty, black haired girl with pink eyes from Level One. I inquired, but it was too late.

"The job had been taken by a group of Level Ten scum. By the time I arrived, they all had been slaughtered and picked apart by dogs and other creatures. I was at a dead end. I figured I would start from scratch, and headed back up to Stephen's place. That's when I met you guys."

So we were being used, after all. Stephen had dumped Eri on us, hoping we would just do something with her.

"So what now? Put a bullet though Stephen's head for revenge?" Zephyr suggested.

I wanted to shake my head, but it was up to Eri and Zero.

Eri stared at her hands like she always did when she was nervous about something.

"I-I don't want to fight…but I'm just so _mad _at him!" She bit her lip, and I realized she wasn't nervous. She was angry. In the short time she lived with us, I had never seen her angry once.

Zero patted her head.

"I would love to strangle him myself. I still have nightmares of the things written in the notes of his. What kind of monster would do those kinds of things to children? Human or not,"

"It's settled then. Tomorrow morning we'll storm Stephen's manor," Vashyron stood, stretching.

I copied his actions, glancing at the clock. I didn't realize so much time had passed during Zero's explanation. If we had a big fight tomorrow, I wanted my beauty sleep.

"I'm going to get ready for bed…"

"Me too!" Eri followed me into our room.

I changed into my pyjamas and dropped onto my bed. To my surprise, Eri pushed her own against mine.

"I-I…"

She didn't need to finish. I understood she was scared, and felt lonely.

"It's okay, Eri."

She smiled and hopped on her mattress, her doll in her hand. Part of her night routine was to brush her doll's hair. I had taught Eri how to sew dresses for it with scrap fabric, but didn't expect her to enjoy it so much. The doll had at least several outfits now, some almost the same as Eri's.

I pulled the blankets up to my shoulders, just lying on my side as I watched Eri.

Our bedroom door opened and Zero waltzed in, a pillow in hand. He jumped on our beds pushed together, claiming his spot between us.

"You're not sleeping in here, are you?" I asked, but I had a feeling he wouldn't leave even if I asked.

"Why not? Eri is here, and I don't like Zephyr's way of thinking. I couldn't possibly sleep in the same room," Zero put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes.

"His way of thinking? I thought you guys were getting along," Well, I did for a bit, anyway.

"It was more of a neutral thing. He kicked me out after I started lecturing him. What a stubborn brat,"

Lecturing Zephyr wasn't the easiest thing to do. He had a strict way of thinking usually, and didn't like how to act to be told what to do.

"About what?"

Zero sat up and smiled.

"Nothing you need to hear of, Lea."

Lea? No one had ever called me that, not even Vashyron. It was...interesting to have a nickname.

Zero took up the job of watching Eri take care of her doll as I started to drift off to sleep.

* * *

><p>A quiet sobbing in the middle of the night woke me. I heard Zero saying something in a hushed voice, mumbled enough I couldn't make out what he was saying.<p>

I didn't roll over until the crying stopped.

Zero sat cross-legged on Eri's half of the bed, Eri sitting in his lap. Her head rested against his chest, fast asleep.

"Sorry that woke you," Zero whispered, gently tucking Eri back under her blanket.

"Is something wrong?"

He shook his head.

"She's just…" He sighed. "She's grown too attached to you guys, that's all. As soon as all of this is over we'll be leaving, and she just doesn't know how to say goodbye."

I nodded, burying my face into my pillow. I knew she would leave at some point, but I'd miss her. It would just go back to the way things were, which would be kind of nice once I got used to it.

I clamped my eyes shut as the first tear hit my pillow.


	8. Chapter 8

Last chapter, guys! It's been fun~ 3 Please review and i'll love you forever.

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><p>Chapter 8<p>

I dragged myself out of bed and got dressed, looking forward to letting out some anger on Stephen. I personally had nothing really against him, but Leanne and Vashyron felt differently. I just found him annoying.

The bright sun almost blinded me as I opened my door. I squinted until my eyes adjusted, walking towards the dingy stairs. Vashyron sat in his usual spot, Eri separating him from Leanne. Eri smiled and sipped her cup.

"Where's Zero?" I was hoping he had already left.

It wasn't that I completely hated him, I just couldn't stand him. He just seemed too outgoing and trusting for this kind of world. If he wasn't indestructible, he'd probably be dead.

Not to mention his idea of giving me relationship advice I didn't need. I kicked him out of my room after he started lecturing me about how other guys will go for Leanne if I didn't. Like I didn't know that. Pater had already, and the only reason the guys at the arena didn't was because they thought we were together.

"Sleeping still. I was just going to wake him up," Leanne stood as her bedroom door opened.

"No need. Thanks anyway," Zero only had a pair of boxers on, his hair a complete mess.

My eye twitched.

After I kicked him out I assumed he would go sleep on one of the couches, not in Leanne's room with Eri. I knew they were engaged or married or something, but that was no excuse.

I glared, and Zero noticed.

"Easy there, Zephyr. Someone might think you were jealous or something," Zero smiled.

I bit my tongue and dropped into a chair.

Losing my cool over something so stupid would be dumb.

"So when are we leaving?" Leanne asked.

Vashyron stood and stretched, clicking off the TV. I wanted to leave right away and get this over with, but being hasty could be dangerous.

"After breakfast. Zero, do you know how to use a gun?"

Zero shook his head.

"No need. I prefer knives or barehanded fighting."

Vashyron nodded.

"Suit yourself."

* * *

><p>I made sure to bring a ridiculous amount of ammo, but because I didn't know what we would be facing. Fighting Rowan was a good example. We had not only attacked the guards, but had to fight two other Cardinals. I knew Stephen had servants, but I wasn't sure if they were skilled in combat.<p>

Leanne locked the door and we were on our way to Chandelier. It was turning out to be a nice day; the weather was warmer than usual.

Several people smiled and waved. Leanne returned their gestures while I just looked away. I never really got to know anyone outside of our group, except Pater. It was odd not having him around. He was one of the few people who treated me normal, but I wonder if that was only because he didn't know of my dark past.

Either way, he had been a good friend.

"You should be nice, you know…" Leanne muttered.

I nodded, agreeing so she wouldn't say anymore. I couldn't help I was terrible when it came to socializing with people.

Core Lift One came into view; the usual crowd hanging around. Being the only elevator up to Chandelier, it was busy everyday.

We flashed our pass to the operator and climbed on the platform. I sat on the vertical bar, my feet a few inches from the metal floor. Zero copied my actions, but was tall enough his feet were planted flat.

I sighed, hoping I would at least grow a few inches more. I was only a little taller than Leanne when she wasn't wearing heels, and it was embarrassing to be so short.

The familiar bell rang as the elevator began to rise, taking us to Level Three. It was mostly Level Three merchants running back and forth to Ebel City, but some common folk liked to visit the shops.

The next elevator was pretty far, past most of the Cardinal mansions. It was nice to look at, but the constant reminder of what was below this level was there.

I grew up on Level Seven, not the best, but I could hardly complain when Vashyron offered me a place to stay. I wanted to refuse at the time, but how could I? Even now Cranktown still talked about what I had done. I was just a bedevilled monster.

* * *

><p>By the time we reached Level One, it was almost noon. We had somehow broken off into small groups; Zero carrying Eri at the front, Vashyron a few feet back from them, and Leanne and I at the back. It wasn't in the plan or anything, it just happened.<p>

Leanne seemed happy, but I knew she was hiding behind her small smile.

I glanced at her hand swinging beside her side. The last time we held hands was probably when we fell off the edge of Chandelier. I doubt that counted, though.

I hesitated as I reached for her, stopping suddenly. What the hell was I doing?

I bit my lip as I glared off to the side.

I reached a bit farther, grabbing her hand as it hit mine. I refused to look in her direction, but I was relieved that her grip tightened slightly.

If Vashyron, or anyone really, turned around I would have to deny everything. Being in Level One we probably wouldn't run into anyone we knew, being a small relief for me.

I released her hand as we reached Stephen's manor. Zero dropped Eri gently to her feet, making sure to stand between her and the door.

"Now or never," I said mostly to myself.

Vashyron knocked on the door, and to my surprise, the same butler as before answered.

"Yes?"

Vashyron smiled, acting friendly.

"Afternoon. Might Stephen be in today?"

The butler blinked slowly, seeming to have no facial expression.

"Please wait here," The door shut slowly.

I kicked a small rock.

"He better not be running away after coming all this way,"

Leanne put her hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sure he won't,"

I nodded, knowing if he did I would be taking a trip to the arena. The Argos wouldn't be enough, so I would have to request something more powerful to take my anger out on.

The butler returned, standing to the side of the open door.

"He will see you in the study,"

The house was much different in the daylight. The dark red wallpaper had flecks of gold, giving it an almost warm feeling as we walked down the hall.

Eri's head darted back and forth as she clung to Zero's arm. The way she was moving told me she was scared. I really couldn't blame her; she was about to meet the man who had locked her up.

The butler stopped outside of a rather large wood door, knocking twice before opening it.

Stephen sat behind a large desk, piles of paper littering it. His dark hair made his skin seem almost white in the dark room. Like the night we had met him, he was wearing a simple white dress shirt. A bright red ribbon was tied around his collar. He looked up and smiled.

"Welcome,"

I tensed slightly, getting ready to grab my gun if I had to.

"Cut the crap, you know why we're here, Stephen." Zero stepped in front of Eri, completely shielding her.

Stephen nodded, and to my surprise, dropped his act. He undid the ribbon around his neck as tossed it to the side. He leaned back in his chair and dropped his shoes on the desk.

"I see. And now you're here to what, fight me? Kill me? Haven't you three killed enough? Not to mention you, brat." His finger jabbed at me. "How does it feel to be hated on the higher Levels, and worshipped on the lower ones?"

Before I could think, I had my gun out and had already fired a round. Stephen jerked his head to the side, avoiding the bullet completely.

"Hmm, seems like you really _are _unstable. Interesting," Stephen stood while Leanne placed a hand on my chest, trying to tell me not to act rashly.

"And you must be Subject Twenty. I was honestly surprised when you showed up here. I thought you had died when you fell off Chandelier. I suppose having the Bedevilled One with you helped…"

I wanted to kill him.

Not everyone knew my sins, but the fact this asshole did made me angry. After Leanne and I fell, it was true that she probably only lived was because I caught her and took the full force of the landing. I remember after she wasn't scared of me, or didn't even question what had happened.

"Bastard…" I spat out.

Stephen smiled brighter and walked out into the hall, leading us to a bigger, open room. My gun never left him, my finger resting on the trigger.

"You would make a lovely test subject, you know, Zephyr. We aren't that different from each other. You have the abilities of an Outside human, while I have the same as the Ageless ones."

I pulled the trigger again, only to have him pluck the bullet from midair.

He dropped it to the floor and walked to a nearby stand. He pulled the drawer out and reached for what looked like a pistol. It was pretty old, but could do some damage if we were hit.

He pointed it at Leanne, pulling the trigger. I grabbed her arm and yanked her out of the way before she was hit.

I didn't care we were inside. I didn't care if Stephen's death would be blamed on me. I would kill him. I fired the rest of the rounds in my gun, reloading it quicker than I knew I could.

The wall behind Stephen was littered in bullet holes, but none of them had even touched him. He moved too quickly for me to get my aim right. Vashyron had copied my actions, but he was slower than I was. One wrong move and he would be done.

Zero stayed back to protect Eri, and to my relief, Leanne as well. I knew she could fight well, but going against Stephen….Even I wasn't sure what would happen.

I flipped and landed on the large chandelier. It gave well enough cover as I reloaded once again.

A loud crack sounded, my head jerking up. The chandelier was about to fall, and I was hoping I could use it to my advantage. I shifted my weight to my left leg, and jumped slightly on the metal, another crack.

Vashyron seemed to read my mind, and was luring Stephen under the chandelier. With a final crack, it gave out. I jumped off and landed in front of Leanne, hugging her tightly against the wall. The Chandelier had glass, and any risk of her getting hurt I wanted to get rid of.

Glass was thrown in every direction, some of the smaller shards bouncing off my leather jacket. A large one buried itself in my leg, but I'd rather it be me than Leanne.

"Z-Zephyr?"

I let her go and turned around, Stephen covered in scratches, but seemed fine overall. Zero ran up to him, punching him in the gut. Stephen fell over and grabbed his stomach, stumbling to get up. Zero kicked his feet out, and I was standing over him in a second, my gun to his forehead.

"Any last words?" My voice was coarse and rough, the way it always became when I started to become unstable.

"You can kill me now, but I'll just regenerate. Within a few day's it'll be as if I never died."

Zero frowned.

"You're a monster, Stephen." He reached for the gun I held, and I hesitated before handing it over.

Zero pulled the trigger twice, reminding me of what was supposed to be my own death.

No one said anything. I slipped my gun back into the holster, turning away from the corpse on the floor.

The room was a complete mess. Bullet holes were just about everywhere, and some once expensive vases were now broken on the floor. I'm sure when Stephen did wake he wouldn't be too happy about this.

I looked at Leanne, her eyes wide with worry. I dropped to where she was looking, realizing the glass had cut the back of my legs open. Blood was soaking the fabric, and now that I realized what had happened, the pain started to sink in.

"Are you okay?"

"Peachy."

* * *

><p>The walk back to Ebel City was long and tiring. My legs hurt more than anything, but I tried to hide the pain. Leanne kept asking how I was, even though the answer was the same each time.<p>

We received many odd looks until we reached Core Lift One. Monsters didn't live on Chandelier, so it was weird that all of us looked as if we were fighting for our lives.

Once in Ebel City, however, most people just shook their heads. They were used to it.

Once we finally returned home I wanted to just flop onto the couch, but staining the blankets would probably piss Leanne off.

"I'm going to go change…"

Wandering up the stairs probably hurt more than anything. The sun was starting to set already, giving the city a golden hue. I stopped and stared for a minute or two, just admiring the view.

I opened my door and shut it quick, wanting to get out of my clothes. I undid my zipper, wincing as the fabric scrapped against the cuts. I managed to pick several bits of glass out of them, but it was impossible to do on my own.

Despite my embarrassment of Leanne seeing me in my boxers, I wandered back downstairs.

Vashyron just chuckled as he poured himself a glass of whiskey.

"Can you get the glass out?" I muttered.

Leanne nodded, and grabbed a bowl and a damp towel. She started picking the pieces out slowly, apologizing every time I winced. I bit my lip as she started pulling out the larger bits, dropping them all in the bowl.

"I think I got them all…" She wiped the blood off. "Wait here, I'll get bandages."

I wanted to sit, but the cuts were still bleeding.

Zero flashed a thumbs up and winked.

I frowned and looked away.

* * *

><p>I woke the next morning to the sound of metal scraping against something. I dragged myself out of bed, my feet hardly wanting to carry my downstairs.<p>

Vashyron was dragging what used to be Eri's bed into the living room, pushing it against the far wall.

I then noticed the large bag sitting on the floor near the door.

Eri was wearing shorts and a frilly pink shirt, a sunhat hiding her ears. Zero was wearing the dress shirt and pants he had stolen from Stephen's manor yesterday. Like Eri, a hat was hiding his ears.

"Where are you guys going?" I yawned.

Eri held her doll against her, hugging it tightly.

"T-The world outside…"

I blinked, looking at Vashyron.

"Turns out the world outside isn't terrible, after all."

Like I could believe that. I grew up being told the Basel was the only place that humans could live without dying.

"I ventured outside while in the lower Levels. Its beautiful, you know. Bright green grass, water the brightest of blue, and hundreds of flowers." Zero reached in his pants and pulled out a piece of dirty and crumpled paper. "I found this in Stephen's notes. It's a map to a village of our kind. It's a day or two away, but it's better than being in Basel. We don't belong here."

It would be weird not having Eri around. I had grown to actually _like_ having her here. She sort of reminded me of my sister now that she had learned to open up more. And her presence made Leanne happy.

I just nodded, not really knowing what to say.

I ambled to the kitchen, finding Leanne making what looked like cookies. Baked treats usually meant she was upset. After Pater died she baked a cake a day for about a week.

She jerked her face away, telling me that she was crying.

I hated to see her cry. I didn't know what to say to cheer her up. I was terrible when it came to female emotions. Whatever I thought was nice to say usually resulted in a frying pan to my head.

"Leanne?"

Her shoulders started to shake gently.

"I-I'm fine,"

I did something I never thought I would do. I hugged her from behind, the same way she had after I had confronted Lagerfeld.

"She'll visit, um, again…"

This was awkward. It seemed as if the past three days were nothing but handing out hints of my feelings. I didn't know how she felt, not to mention she was older than I was.

I dropped my arms, and to my surprise she turned around.

"Thanks, Zephyr." She wiped her eyes with her shirt sleeve.

I nodded.

"Come on, let's go say goodbye."

Leanne followed me back to the living room, Eri bursting into tears as soon as she saw Leanne's red eyes. It seemed as if I would have a lot of cookies to be eating these next few days.

"Feel free to visit anytime," Vashyron slapped Zero on the back.

"Will do. When we finally do get hitched, you guys better show up." Zero glanced at a sobbing Eri clutching onto Leanne.

I didn't understand why girls had to make such a big deal out of leaving. They said they would come back.

Eri sniffled.

"I-I-I-I'll miss you guys," She picked up her bag, only to have Zero take it from her.

"Don't have too much fun, Zephyr." Zero winked and half waved at me as they left.

Other than Leanne's sniffles, the place was actually rather quiet. I was used to Eri and Leanne making a ruckus, but with Eri gone, everything had gone back to normal.

Leanne went back to making her cookies while Vashyron took his spot in front of the TV.

It really seemed as if nothing had happened.

It was hard to say what would happen in the next few days, since we technically killed Stephen. He'd probably keep quiet about everything, but there was a chance he wouldn't. We would just have to be ready.

Zero had mentioned the outside world, which had me curious. We had all been to every inch of Basel, seen it's glory, and it's shame. But was there really an outside world? Maybe we could visit, someday. I sat beside Vashyron, putting my feet up.

What a small world we lived in.


End file.
